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New Colin Neighbourhood Oil Buying Club launched

A new oil buying club has been launched in West Belfast and its founders are encouraging local people to sign up and start saving money on their heating costs. The Colin Neighbourhood Oil Buying Club is the first one to be established by Bryson Energy in the Belfast area and will operate in the areas of Twinbrook, Poleglass, Lagmore, Kilwee, Derriaghy and Dunmurry.

The oil club is funded by the Housing Executive and managed by Bryson Energy who have teamed up with community organisations Colin Neighbourhood Partnership, Footprints Women’s Centre and Colin Sure Start to roll out the club.

The scheme is open to everyone including owner-occupiers, housing association and Housing Executive tenants as well as private-rented tenants. It’s free to join and members can expect savings between £15 and £30 on their oil orders. By combining the oil orders of Colin Oil Club members Bryson Energy will be able to negotiate a lower price per litre, which means every club member can benefit from cheaper oil and reduced heating costs.

Léo Andrade from Bryson Energy commented: “The oil club can make a difference in people’s lives. Not only will it help householders save on their heating costs but will also help develop existing and new working partnerships and with it a sense of community achievement and empowerment.”

Over the past year, Bryson Energy’s New Health Routes team with the support of stakeholders in the wider Colin community have worked together to make it easier for households in the area to access energy efficiency schemes available to tackle fuel poverty. As a result, over 1000 households received some form of support, this included energy saving advice, fuel budgeting and payment awareness and benefit maximisation checks as well as free insulation measures.

Annie Armstrong, Manager of Colin Neighbourhood Partnership and Chair of the Colin Neighbourhood Oil Buying Club Committee, said of the initiative: “We are delighted to have an oil club now operating in the Colin community. Struggling to keep a home warm can be an issue for many households and this scheme will make it both easier and cheaper. We are delighted to have Bryson Energy on board; with 17 other oil clubs already under their administration we are confident in their ability to manage the scheme and negotiate the best price for local residents. We would encourage everyone in the Colin area who is dependent on oil to heat their home to sign up to the Colin Oil Club. With free membership, regular oil orders and savings to be made every year, you simply have nothing to lose.”

Eileen Wilson, Sustainable Living Manager at Footprints Women’s Centre and Vice Chair of the Colin Oil Buying committee, said: “The Colin Neighbourhood Oil Buying Club will enable residents in Colin to get the best price for oil even when ordering smaller amounts and will help save on heating bills. Footprints Women’s Centre is pleased to support this project and looks forward to working with Bryson Energy, Colin Neighbourhood Partnership and Colin Sure Start to establish the Oil Buying Club for households in the local area’.

The Housing Executive’s Energy Conservation Manager, Noel Rice is pleased the new club has been established and commented: “The Housing Executive is the Home Energy Conservation Authority for Northern Ireland and we believe oil buying clubs are an excellent way of helping us combat fuel poverty. I wish Colin Oil Club every success.”